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bluelibrarian's reviews
507 reviews
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
3.0
Unique. Strong female narrator with substance and a sense of humor, which is a big plus. While it's a cute twist that coffee and chocolate are banned substances, the background on this is a bit hollow. A typical high school drama set in the future with mafia and dystopian twists.
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
3.0
This review contains one big spoiler that is going to happen... NOW:
If you were to tell me a week ago that I would make it through an entire book that centers around the idea of a talking desk possessed by ghosts, I wouldn't have believed you. "Oh, come on! That's too much," may have been my jaded response. But somehow, Lisa McMann pulls it off. At least, I think she pulls it off until we actually get to the talking desk in the last 1/4 of the book. Then I really had to strain to suspend my disbelief of haunted, talking desks.
The first 3/4 of the book are equal parts realistic, high school fiction and truly creepy thriller. McMann really does attain a nice balance between the two. Kendall, our teen protagonist, suffers from above average OCD. I haven't met too many fictional characters who admit to their OCD, so it was interesting for me to look in on Kendall's habits and coping mechanisms. I kind of enjoyed how most of the book was about her mental struggle, and I for sure enjoyed the unexpected, budding romance between Kendall and the new kid in a town of, like, 2 people. But wait: her best friend has mysteriously disappeared, her soccer team has dissolved, she probably won't get into Juilliard, and, oh by the way, A DESK IS TALKING TO HER! Is she going crazy? What are the voices trying to tell her? And is her best friend ever coming back?
I would recommend this to a reluctant reader in a heartbeat. The creepy is ever present and weirdly mysterious, and the narrative moves along at a clip. Nothing earth shattering for me, but I liked.
If you were to tell me a week ago that I would make it through an entire book that centers around the idea of a talking desk possessed by ghosts, I wouldn't have believed you. "Oh, come on! That's too much," may have been my jaded response. But somehow, Lisa McMann pulls it off. At least, I think she pulls it off until we actually get to the talking desk in the last 1/4 of the book. Then I really had to strain to suspend my disbelief of haunted, talking desks.
The first 3/4 of the book are equal parts realistic, high school fiction and truly creepy thriller. McMann really does attain a nice balance between the two. Kendall, our teen protagonist, suffers from above average OCD. I haven't met too many fictional characters who admit to their OCD, so it was interesting for me to look in on Kendall's habits and coping mechanisms. I kind of enjoyed how most of the book was about her mental struggle, and I for sure enjoyed the unexpected, budding romance between Kendall and the new kid in a town of, like, 2 people. But wait: her best friend has mysteriously disappeared, her soccer team has dissolved, she probably won't get into Juilliard, and, oh by the way, A DESK IS TALKING TO HER! Is she going crazy? What are the voices trying to tell her? And is her best friend ever coming back?
I would recommend this to a reluctant reader in a heartbeat. The creepy is ever present and weirdly mysterious, and the narrative moves along at a clip. Nothing earth shattering for me, but I liked.
Burning Blue by Paul Griffin
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved Paul Griffin's last book, Stay With Me, and so did cartwheels of joy when I received an ARC of Burning Blue. I'm a teen librarian, and I read A LOT of YA. I do not exaggerate when I say that Paul Griffin has become one of my favorite YA authors. Why? The strength of his characters and his awesome abilities with narrative voice. His characters, especially the narrators but even the secondary players (including dogs!), are real, unique and consistent. That is not an easy accomplishment. Paul Griffin rocks.
I started Burning Blue as soon as I got my hands on it and couldn't put it down. I stayed up late and annoyed my husband. It's a compelling, twisting mystery with a stupidly likable and complex narrator. It's both contemporary high-school fiction and sleepy thriller, and Griffin deftly weaves in his themes. Plus mega bonuses: really cool hacking stuff! Picasso references!
Read this, purchase this for your library, and book-talk it. Boys and girls will dig it, as will avid and reluctant readers alike. It's a fast-paced read, well written and a joy to puzzle through.
I started Burning Blue as soon as I got my hands on it and couldn't put it down. I stayed up late and annoyed my husband. It's a compelling, twisting mystery with a stupidly likable and complex narrator. It's both contemporary high-school fiction and sleepy thriller, and Griffin deftly weaves in his themes. Plus mega bonuses: really cool hacking stuff! Picasso references!
Read this, purchase this for your library, and book-talk it. Boys and girls will dig it, as will avid and reluctant readers alike. It's a fast-paced read, well written and a joy to puzzle through.